Homeowners should be compensated for airports 'blight'

A compensation scheme for homeowners who face two years of “blight” if their
local airport is short-listed for expansion should be looked at by
ministers, according to the government’s aviation commissioner.

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Communities living near existing airports such as Heathrow are concerned about the effect on property prices if their area is short-listed as a site where a new runway could potentially be built.Photo: GETTY

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Communities living near existing airports such as Heathrow are concerned about the effect on property prices if their area is short-listed as a site where a new runway could potentially be built.Photo: GETTY

By Nathalie Thomas and David Millward

7:26PM BST 07 Oct 2013

Communities living near Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted fear they will be hit by two years of falling property prices if any of the airports are short-listed for potential new runways.

The government-backed Airports Commission will publish a list in December of sites that will be considered for new runways or a brand new hub airport.

But a final decision on where extra runways should be built will not be delivered until 2015, creating two years of uncertainty for homeowners.

Sir Howard Davies, chairman of the commission, acknowledged that communities could face several years of blight.

“There are previous examples of government compensation schemes,” the former Financial Services Authority boss said following a speech in London. “I think it's something we need to look at."

The airports commissioner said ministers should also be involved as finding a solution to the problem may have consequences for public spending.

"We [at the commission] are concerned about the blight question. As a result we are working hard to try to ensure that we can get to a very manageable short-list,” he said.

"I think this is something where ministers need to look at it too because there are implications potentially for public expenditure.”

Brian Ross, a campaigner for Stop Stansted Expansion, said “tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands” of people would find their property prices hit as soon as the short-list is released in two months’ time.

“At the end of the day the uncertainty will last for at least two years,” Mr Ross said.

John Stewart of HACAN (the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise) said a compensation scheme would be “a humane way forward that has never been considered before”.

Seven campaign groups, including "No Estuary Airport" and the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, wrote to the Airports Commission last month warning over the potential impact on "long suffering communities" of the short-list.

"Many communities are currently threatened by the prospect of their homes and local environment being bulldozed or becoming subject to intolerable levels of aircraft noise, air pollution, road traffic and other airport-related impacts," they wrote.

Sir Howard raised the prospect of a compensation scheme on Monday, after arguing in his first public speech that new runways must be built in the South East of England for the sake of the economy and passengers.

A spokesman for the Airports Commission said: "We are working hard to whittle down the shortlist to a small number of schemes to reassure those in areas that are out of the frame, who are unnecessarily concerned about uncertainties.”